Chapter Nine and Chapter Ten Summary

In Chapter Nine Miri looks forward to the spring holiday so she can tell the village about Commerce. Miri explains to Britta the glories of the spring holiday and tells her about the quarry-speech experiments and her knowledge of Commerce. Britta admits that she could not hear quarry-speech during her few weeks working in the quarry, and Miri wants to see the gardens of the lowlands. Britta does not think the prince will see her in a room full with the other girls, and hopes the princess will be someone actually from Mount Eskel. Miri daydreams about becoming princess but she keeps thinking of Peder instead. She spends extra time studying Diplomacy and bonds with Esa, Peder's younger sister. Miri has felt separated from the others her age since they went to work in the...